Flu and Covid Vaccines 2026-2027

FIGHT THE FLU CAMPAIGN 2026-2027

You no longer need to sign-up for a Flu vaccine. Flu will be given on a walk-in basis at the following times:

At any scheduled appointments (unless the patient is ill.)

During a walk-in sick clinic visit (unless the patient is ill).

Anytime, Monday through Friday, between 9:00am - 11:30am and 1:00pm - 4:30pm on a walk-in basis in either office. We will do our best to accommodate you, but there is no dedicated staff at this time for giving flu vaccines so there could be a little wait.

At one of our scheduled Flu Clinics in September and October listed below: (Click on the day to see the hours for the clinic)

The Fight the Flu Campaign has begun at Virginia Pediatric and Adolescent Center. Flu vaccines start producing effective immunity 2-4 weeks after immunization and the most effective immunity lasts about 6 months but can fade after that. Circulating virus strains can also change later in the flu season. For these reasons, we emphasize trying to get all children and other family members vaccinated in the Fall, ideally by the end of October, per CDC and Virginia Department of Health recommendations, to provide maximum protection for late Fall through Winter and early spring. We are pleased to be offering protection to our patients and to their parents and in-home caregivers.

The 2026-2027 influenza vaccine we are administering at VPAC is called Fluzone (Sanofi) - it is a TRIVALENT vaccine and protects against the following three strains: Switzerland (A/H1N1), Michigan (A/H3N2), and Tokyo (B/Victoria lineage). These strains are different than the ones covered in last year’s vaccines. The strains are selected based on recent/predicted flu strain activity and immunity lasts for only 1 year at most- therefore everyone should be vaccinated with the new strains each year. After vaccination it takes two to four weeks for protection to develop, and protection lasts for 6 months and possibly up to a 1 year. As with any vaccine, protection is not 100%. If a patient does get influenza, the illness is typically more mild in a patient who has been vaccinated. Fluzone is an inactivated Influenza vaccine. Because this inactivated influenza vaccine contains only non-infectious viruses, it CANNOT cause influenza. Flu-like symptoms that can occur after vaccination is your body's normal response to the vaccine and are part of the process of developing immunity to influenza. The most frequent side effect is soreness at the injection site. A small percentage of patients report fever or muscle aches occurring 6-12 hours after vaccination. These effects usually last 24-48 hours. Most report no reactions.

If your child is under 9 years old and has never had a flu vaccine it is recommended they get a second "booster" flu vaccine >4 weeks after the first dose and no later than the end of this flu season.

Influenza vaccination is RECOMMENDED for:

ALL children and adolescents 6 months and older, their household contacts, and their caregivers.
Children in daycare, adolescents living in dormitories, and for travelers.

Influenza vaccination is STRONGLY RECOMMENDED for:

Patients over 6 months of age with asthma
Patients with congenital heart disease or lung disease (bronchopulmonary dysplasia, cystic fibrosis)
Patients with chronic illnesses that compromise their immune system (diabetes, sickle cell anemia, HIV infection, genetic immune deficiencies, chronic kidney disease, Down syndrome, patients on chronic aspirin/steroid therapy and for those immunocompromised because of chemotherapy)
Those in contact with anyone in the above groups should also be vaccinated
Anyone in close contact with children from newborn to age 5 years (caregivers, household contacts).

Influenza vaccination is CONTRAINDICATED in patients:

With a history of a life-threatening allergic reaction to a dose of flu vaccine or a severe allergy to any part of this vaccine (thimerosal or other ingredients).
Anyone who has a history of Guillain-Barre syndrome
Anyone with a significant illness (mild illness is usually ok, but discuss with a provider if you are sick)

Note: An egg allergy is no longer a contraindication for getting a flu vaccine. If your child has a history of severe/anaphylactic egg allergy, please discuss this with your provider before the vaccine is administered.

Fluzone contains a small (25 micrograms) amount of mercury in the form of thimerosal. This is about the same amount of mercury that is in a can of tuna fish. It is used as a preservative in the mulit-dose Fluzone vials. It has never been shown that this small amount of mercury harms children. At VPAC, we automatically administer the preservative-free, thimerasol-free, single dose flu vaccine to all children under age 3.

The CDC Vaccine Information Sheet for flu can be found at:

https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/hcp/vis/vis-statements/flu.html

FLUMIST- Intranasal Live Attenuated Influenza Vaccine (LAIV): This vaccine was reformulated to be more effective than it used to be, and per the CDC and American Academy of Pediatrics it is an equal alternative to the shot this season. Due to unpredictable manufacturing and delivery timelines we have not ordered FluMist for the 2026-2027 season, and we are focusing on getting our patients and families protected with the injectable vaccine (flu shot). FluMist is also thimerasol-free.

COVID-19 VACCINE 2026-2027

We will update you soon on how and when the Covid-19 vaccine will be available at VPAC.